Sci-Fi Prototype

Smell that smoke? All over the world, die-hard cinephiles are burning their copies of Fritz Langs 1927 silent film Metropolis. Turns out the version weve all been watching for the past 80 years was missing an important chunk of scenes. Metropolis is worshipped for inventing the visual language of science fiction. For instance, the films lady robot was the basis for Star Wars C-3PO, its highways in the skies appear in The Fifth Element, and its dystopian aesthetic was harnessed for Blade Runner. But a film lover in Argentina suspected there were more scenes hidden on reels tucked away in government collections in Buenos Aires. He was right.
The newly restored Metropolis, now with 25 minutes of new footage, screens at the Miami Beach Cinematheque this Friday at 8 p.m. See the futuristic burg and its freaked-out denizens quake with anxiety about capitalism, technology, and city living. No one does dystopia like the Germans.
Fri., June 4, 8 p.m., 2010

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